1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for creating a sound series of photographs from fixed images taken separately, and a device for the implementation of the method.
2. Description of Related Art
In a digital camera, the image in front of the objective is projected onto a CCD or CMOS sensor. The image is then converted into digital data and recorded in a memory. The memory can be definitively incorporated in the device or be removable, it is then presented in the form of a plug-in support. By means of digital technology, the user takes a photograph and is able to see it immediately afterwards on a small screen generally situated on the rear face of the device, the screen is typically an LCD or OLED screen. Using the screen, the user can verify the quality of the photograph that has just been taken, decide to keep it in the memory or to delete it, and can view old photographs for which the data are recorded in the memory. In some devices, the CCD or CMOS sensor is sufficiently rapid to carry out the acquisition of a video sequence of short duration. These devices also have a microphone to capture the sound environment during the recording of the video sequence. During the reproduction of the video sequence, a loud speaker located inside the device enables reproduction of the sound recorded at the same time as the images.
But these video sequences are generally of poor quality, because the capacity for image processing on the fly in a camera does not allow the acquisition of high definition video sequences. Generally, the images of a video sequence realized in a digital camera have a definition of several tens of thousands of pixels.
One solution would be to transfer the processing to another device to produce the audiovisual sequence. The transfer of data is carried out by a connector realizing a link with a computer or any other electronic device such as: television, printer, video projector, etc. The digital data corresponding to the photographs are incorporated in a file that can be transferred to a computer. Once the photograph data are recorded in a memory or downloaded to a computer, software applications enable one or more photographs to be associated with a sound sequence, and thus create an animated audiovisual sequence. To do this, the user manually associates a photograph and a sound sequence. For example, the user dictates a commentary and then associates it with the sequence. When the photography is displayed, the sound sequence is also reproduced. In this way, the display of the photograph is supplemented by the sound content that the user has selected. Specialized editing programs enable the creation of such audiovisual content. Software applications are also known that, from standard format photographs, produce panoramic images from a series of photographs whose edges meet. These programs assemble these photographs together applying a distortion to each so that their edges adjust perfectly. An image is thus obtained covering and angle that can go up to 360°. These images can form horizontal or spherical panoramas.
The document WO 98/15/15119 filed by FLASHPOINT describes a camera that downloads photographs to a computer. The computer displays a menu constituted of thumbnails intended to be selected to display the corresponding images in wide-screen. The user associates a sound with a photo image. A sound sequence is recorded during the period covering the taking of a plurality of photographs. During the reproduction of the sound sequence, an index table enables each photograph to be displayed at the instant of the sound sequence during which it was taken.
The document WO2007/038198 filed by KODAK describes a camera that has a means for recording sound sequences. The device has an operating mode: “stitched panoramic capture mode” illustrated by FIG. 4 enabling more than one photographs to be assembled. Sound sequences are taken for each photograph, and during the reproduction. The sound sequences are reproduced when the user slides the segment of panoramic image to the screen, this segment containing the image associated with the reproduced sequence. A variant consists in that the assembled image is displayed completely on the screen and that the position of an index on the image indicates what sound sequence is selected.